Mike Elko is leaving his post as head coach at Duke for the same position at Texas A&M. The Blue Devils currently have their best recruiting class since 2016 and the next head coach will have to work hard to keep this group together.
Rivals.com national recruiting analyst Adam Friedman takes a look at five prospects that the next head coach of the Blue Devils should make a priority.
MORE DUKE: Coaching candidates | Elko headed to A&M after strange coaching search
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This is a no-brainer. Cherry needs to be the first call for the next head coach at Duke. He's a talented signal caller with a very high ceiling. Cherry is a good fit at Duke and the previous staff did a good job prioritizing him early in the process and didn't let up. He committed in May but if the next head coach doesn't work hard to keep him in the fold, Cherry will likely end up elsewhere.
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Tyler has big-time potential on both sides of the ball. As the only four-star in Duke's top-35 recruiting class, he'll be one of the very first prospects to get a call from the next head coach of the Blue Devils. Georgia Tech hosted the in-state prospect for an official visit in the spring and it wouldn't be surprising to see them try to take advantage of this opportunity.
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As the only west coast commit in Duke's 2024 recruiting class, there are plenty of other options for Condoll. He took visits to Cal and Stanford prior to his June official visit to Duke. The 6-foot-2 defensive back can be used in a variety of roles in the secondary and he'll surely be fielding phone calls from other teams looking to add a versatile defender.
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Winning Mencke's commitment was a feather in Elko's cap and keeping him onboard could be a big ask for the next head coach. After taking official visits to Duke and Notre Dame, the Texas native chose the Blue Devils over the Fighting Irish so it wouldn't be surprising to see Notre Dame check on Mencke's status. Mencke's father played at Washington State so the Cougars could become a factor as well.
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Bourdon sports one of the longest offer sheets out of any of the current Duke commits. The 6-foot-6 offensive tackle took official visits to Vanderbilt, Duke, and Purdue before announcing his commitment to the Blue Devils. The Commodores and Boilermakers have a need for more talented offensive lineman and will likely try to flip Bourdon. Florida State, NC State, Stanford and many other Power Five teams were also pursuing Bourdon before his commitment.
